Westrom, Ingebrigtsen talk transportation, other issues
by Nick Ripperger
State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen and State Representative Torrey Westrom stopped at the Dew Drop in Hoffman on Friday as part of a swing through their district to update local residents on the legislature’s activity and get feedback from local residents.
Their theme was familiar. Don’t raise taxes to address a budget shortfall and growing infrastructure needs; instead cut government waste and borrow money to spread out costs over a period of years rather than increase taxes now and place additional financial burdens on families who might already be strapped for money.
As it turned out, much of what they promoted turned out to be moot points. While both voted against a DFL-sponsored tax increase to infuse money into the state’s transportation needs, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty swiftly vetoed that bill, the veto was overridden on Monday.
The result is that over a period of time, the gas tax will increase by 8.5 cents per gallon and license tab fees and registration fees will increase. Metro-area taxpayers could also see a 1/4 of 1 percent sales tax increase (25 cents per $100). Ingebrigtsen called such increases “a return to the pre-Jesse Ventura days.”
The Minnesota gas tax currently is 20 cents per gallon and has not changed in 20 years. Ingebrigtsen said that that put the state 28th in the nation, but the new increase would push it up to 6th or 7th place.
His main complaint was that transportation bill came up for a vote too quickly, and was “forced through” by the DFL before the newest projection of the state’s deficit was announced. The November forecast estimated this year’s deficit at $373 million, about 1 percent of the overall budget. The newest projection due out shortly could revise that deficit to as much as $1 billion, about 3 percent of the budget.
The Republicans had a better bill, Ingebrigtsen said, which would have increased the gas tax only four or five cents, and would have devoted more money to “local” roads and bridges. The Republicans, he said, tried to compromise, but “the Democrats wouldn’t listen.”
Westrom complained that the DFL bill didn’t contain “one ounce of reform. It’s heavy on taxes and light on budget scrutiny. Without reforms, 8 1/2 cents is just the beginning.”
To bolster his point, he cited an anecdote of overpaid construction workers due to a “prevailing wage” requirement on state construction projects. Westrom and Ingebrigtsen also blamed the DFL for for MnDOT’s choosing the highest bidder for the I-35W bridge project, claiming that the DFL had inserted a “best value” requirement for accepting bids for state projects instead of the lowest bid.
When Grant County commissioner Jennes Swenson pointed out that Republican Carol Molnau is the head of MnDOT, Ingebrigtsen implied that MnDOT is bound to follow the state’s contractual guidelines set by the legislature. He and Westrom defended the much maligned Molnau. Ingebrigtsen called her “a good fit for the job,” cutting out some wasteful spending that had been going on in the department.
Transportation wasn’t the only topic the legislators brought up. Ingebrigtsen returned to an issue that he has devoted considerable energy to since he was elected: illegal immigrants.
“We have to start paying attention to the immigration issue,” he said. “We’re spending millions for services for people who aren’t supposed to be here. We can’t wait any longer.”
He called three cities in Minnesota “safe havens” for illegal immigrants, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Worthington, and those cities could lose state aid as a result.
The solution, he was asked?
“The party in control won’t hear it,” he replied.
Westrom said that Oklahoma has adopted measures to discourage illegal immigration by taking away “incentives” for them to move there, such as providing free medical care and education.
Ingebrigtsen implied that once some time has passed, the fact that the driver who crashed into a school bus near Cottonwood was an illegal immigrant (from Guatemala, authorities eventually found out), would have ramifications at the state level. While conceding that accidents happen, he said that had that woman not been where she was, driving illegally, the accident wouldn’t have happened.
When asked how big a problem illegal immigration actually is in Minnesota, Ingebrigtsen cited figures claiming that there are 70,000 to 80,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota (about 1.5 percent of the population) and that $100 million to $170 million (about $1500 to $2000 per year per person) is being spent on them.
“But it’s getting more and more,” he said.
He went on to say that he knew of legal immigrants who work hard to send money back to their families, and that any immigrants who are on welfare probably aren’t sending any money back. He also acknowledged that even some illegal immigrants are paying taxes, although they won’t be able to collect any Social Security benefits.
Other topics that arose included making English the state’s official language; a constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot this fall increasing the sales tax by 3/8 of 1 percent to help fund the environment, arts, and public broadcasting; choosing which building projects will be included in the $1 billion bonding bill the legislature will pass this year; and the possibility of allowing teachers to have guns in schools to protect students.
